The Difference of a Second - A CaptainSparklez Fanfiction
by simplybirds
Summary: In a world where Cora, a 22 year old girl, has her life flipped around by a gust of wind. It leads her into meeting none other than Jordan Maron, aka CaptainSparklez! Friends will be gained, lives will be changed, and obstacles will be passed as the two begin to know one another better and better. Join me on an epic adventure through their journey of loss, love, and hardship.
1. Shopping Trip Gone Wrong

Ally and I braced ourselves and got out of her car. The autumn wind hit us in the face like a brick, but it was worth it to be with her. I hadn't seen Ally in such a long time because we went to different colleges. Thanksgiving break was finally here, and some stupid weather wasn't going to change our long awaited plans to be together. Shopping wasn't really my idea, (I'm not exactly the fashionista that Ally is) but I was happy to hang out with her. We passed by a Sephora and Ally ran to the display window.

"Cora! Look! That's the eyeshadow that Michelle Phan used in her most recent video! Did you see it yet?"

"No, I'm not really a fan of beauty videos," I answered.

"Oh, but I know you are on YouTube all the time," Ally replied as we walked into the store, "who do you mainly watch?"

"Gaming people mostly, you know, CaptainSparklez, Pewdiepie, Seananners."

"Right! I remember you showing me some of their videos," Ally said as she bought the eyeshadow. She wasn't a huge fan of gaming, but I would show her how to play Minecraft once in a while. We walked out of the Sephora; we both know that I don't usually wear a lot of makeup. Suddenly, Ally looked as if she had an idea.

"Cora! We should get you something nice for college! Maybe Tom will notice," Ally gave me a huge grin.

I jokingly pushed her shoulder and said, "You know I don't like him." Tom was a good friend of ours and I went to college with him. He had the same major (psychology) as me. He lived up in Seattle, so he was with his family for the break.

"I know, I know!" Ally smiled and laughed, "You know I'm just joking."

I smiled and another wind gust nearly blew us into the side of the building, so Ally led us into American Eagle. She ran right away to these really bright leggings. I went over to the t-shirt section. After shopping for a while, I bought 2 pairs of jeans and a t-shirt and Ally bought a sweater and 3 pairs of leggings. We paid, walked towards the front of the store, and talked more about YouTube. As I began to push open the door, the wind caught it and slammed it open. I heard a loud thud. Did I just... hit someone? I panicked as I peeked around the heavy wooden door. Lying on the ground unconscious was none other than Jordan Maron.


	2. Concussions

*Jordan's POV*

I slowly opened my eyes. The bright ceiling lights made my head feel funny. I touched it and a huge exploding pain erupted beneath my fingers. "Ow!" I cried. The next thing I knew, someone walked into the room and sat down next to me. I looked over. It was a nurse. Great, I'm in the hospital.

"Hi, you're up. That was quite a hit you had there," she said calmly. "How do you feel?"

"My head hurts," I answered blankly.

"Yeah, that happens with concussions as bad as yours," she answered.

"What happened? How did I get a concussion? Wha-" I started to ask.

"Hey, calm down. I need to ask you a few questions first to test your memory, ok?" She cut me off.

"Ok. But I-" I started to say.

"What's your name?"

"Jordan," I said, "Jordan Maron."

"Age?" she asked.

"Twenty one," I answered. After a few more boring questions, she said I did well and would get to leave the hospital as long as I had someone to look after me for a week. I guess I could call Nick. Before I had any more time to think, two girls walked in the room. My god they were pretty. The first had straight auburn hair and such light blue eyes. She looked really upset for some reason. The second had chocolate brown hair and looked nervous as well.

"Are you ok? I'm so so so so sorry," the first said.

"What happened? Who are you?" I questioned. Man, I am so confused.

The second girl smiled and said, "My name is Ally, and this is Cora. She kinda hit you with a door on accident."

"Oh. Hi," I said, "you… hit me with a door?" I questioned again.

"Yeah… I just opened it and the wind… well… it opened too fast and it knocked you out," Cora said uncomfortably.

"Ah. I remember now. I was just walking and then the next thing I knew I was here," I answered as my memory started to clear up a bit.

Cora walked up to my bedside and pulled out a purple post-it note. She wrote her number on it and said, "If you need anything, anything at all, please call me," she handed me the note. "I feel so bad. Any way I can make it up to you, please," she insisted.

"Thanks, Cora. Oh, by the way my name is Jordan," I added.

"I know… the nurse told me," she quickly added. "I have to go now. Seriously though, call if you need help with anything."

They started to leave. I closed my eyes for a bit and smiled as I heard Ally whisper, "He's cute," as they walked out of the room.

A few hours later, and a few tests later, the doctor cleared me to go home. I called up Nick, told him what happened and how I need someone to stay with me for a week.

"Wow, dude! Seriously?" Nick said in disbelief.

"Yeah, really. Do you want to stay with me for a week?" I asked.

"Ok, sure! Sleepover!" Nick yelled like a little kid. I smiled and hung up the phone. Nick picked me up and dropped me off at my house. Even though it was early, I went to bed. Nick said he was going to get his stuff.

*Nick's POV*

I went to go grab the stuff I needed for the week and then came back. On Jordan's counter I saw a purple post it note. A new lady friend? I snickered and dialed the number.


	3. Prank Call

_*Cora's POV*_

"Dad, I told you, it wasn't my fault! The wind just-" I started to say.

"I know you didn't mean it, but really? Now we probably have to pay his medical bills and your mother will not be happy when she finds out!" My dad responded angrily.

"She's not my mom!" I yelled. She wasn't. She was my step mom. My real mom died in childbirth with me. My whole life I only had a father figure until a year ago, when my dad married my step mother. I refused to call her my mother. She didn't approve of anything I did or any decisions I made. She had this whole idea that a girl should always be ladylike and perfect. Being a bit of a tomboy and growing up around sports and video games, I didn't quite fit the picture. No, I didn't fit the picture at all.

"What's going on in here?" Stephanie questioned. Stephanie is her first name. I refuse to call her anything else.

"Cora knocked someone out today," my dad said.

Before she could chime in, I added, "It was an accident!" Apparently it didn't matter. Long story short Stephanie was not happy. I went upstairs and sat in bed texting Ally for a while, when my cell phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, but it had an LA area code, so I answered it because it might be Jordan!

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hi is this McDonald's?" A male voice questioned.

"What? No-" I started to respond when I was cut off

"Well I bought a burger and it has a cockroach in it!" The male voice said angrily

"No, you don't understand, thi-" I said very confused and got cut off again.

"No, _you_ are the one that doesn't understand," he demanded, "give me a refund or I'll sue!"

"Is this a-" I started to ask. This was totally a prank call.

"GIVE ME A RE-" The male voice started to yell and then broke out into laughter. Yep, knew it was a prank call.

"Tom? Is that you? I'll kill you Tom!"

"No, this is no Tom. Did you give your number to someone named Jordan? I'm a friend of his," the male voice chuckled. Wait a minute, that voice did sound familiar. Was that Nick? I just got prank called by Nick!

"Oh, hi. What's your name?" I asked even though I already knew.

"Nick. I assume yours is Cora from the note you left him?" Nick asked.

"Yes it is, I'm the one who hit him with the door. Accidentally," I added.

We had a conversation for quite a while, when I glanced over at my clock. It was getting pretty late, and I had to get up early to get supplies for Thanksgiving dinner. I was making it this year because of my improving cooking skills. I said goodbye to Nick, and fell asleep thinking about my life that just got flipped around by a gust of wind.


	4. Invitation

**A/N: Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I wanted to thank everyone for supporting me, I really didn't think my story would get so much praise so early on! I plan to be updating this story at least once every three days if not more often for those who are curious. Again, thanks for all the support and enjoy the chapter!**

*Jordan's POV*

I woke up the next morning, my head still throbbing. I slept in late, as always, and went to the kitchen to grab breakfast. Nick was already up eating a bowl of Cheerios. I decided to have some too with a glass of orange juice.

"Morning dude, how are you feeling?" He asked.

"Not great, but better than yesterday," I answered. Nick suddenly started smiling like he knew something I didn't. "What?" I questioned, "What are you up to?"

Nick's smile grew larger and pointed at the post-it that Cora gave me yesterday. "Lady friend?" Nick asked. He was still smiling.

"She's the one who whacked me in the head," I answered, "We're not really friends…" Nick was still smiling. "Ok, what did you do?"

"I kinda…" he hesitated, "I kinda prank called her last night."

"You what?" I exclaimed.

"Wait! Before you get mad, she's actually pretty cool, dude. I talked to her for a while after the initial call," Nick remarked.

"Dude, come on, seriously?" I announced.

"No, really! She feels really bad about this whole thing and she was very nice about it," Nick explained. I was so surprised he actually prank called Cora. Why didn't she just hang up on him? Isn't that what everyone does when they get prank called?

Towards the end of breakfast, Nick added, "You should call her." I couldn't believe my ears. Just the other day I met her, and not in a way I would have preferred. Did she really feel that bad? She did seem sincere at the hospital. I didn't want her to be that guilt-stricken. Maybe I should call her.

"Ok, just this once I'll call her." I responded.

Nick gave me a grin, I rolled my eyes and dialed the number.

"Hello?" I heard Cora respond on the other line.

"Hey, Cora, this is Jordan."

"Oh! Hey Jordan! How are you feeling? Better?" She questioned hopefully.

"Better than yesterday, thanks. Listen, don't worry about what happened the other day. I accept all your apologies. I'm going to be fine," I assured her.

"Great! That's… great! Listen… I was wondering if maybe to make it up to you… do you have any plans for Thanksgiving Day?" she asked.

"Well, Nick and I were going to just hang here or maybe go out for dinner, why?" I answered.

"Ok, cool, well if the dinner doesn't work out or you decide to do otherwise, would you… want to come over for Thanksgiving? It would really help me make it up to you," she stated.

"Hang on a sec, let me ask Nick," I put the phone to my side. "Nick, she's inviting us to dinner on Thanksgiving. Do you want to go?" I questioned.

"Yeah dude! Lets go! It would be fun," he answered excitedly. I rolled my eyes a little and put the phone up to my ear.

"We would love to come, thanks," I told Cora. She gave me her address and time and I hung up the phone.

"I can't believe you made me do that," I sighed at Nick, "we hardly know her."

"Well all you have is Cheerios. I want some real food," Nick plopped himself down on the couch. Secretly inside, I was glad that I'd get to see her again.


	5. Fangirling

*Cora's POV*

I hung up the phone. I felt like I was going to faint. I couldn't believe it! I was having a YouTube-famous person over for Thanksgiving! And not just any YouTube-famous person. My stepmom caught me lost in happy thoughts.

"Who was that?" She demanded. She was not going to be pleased I invited two strangers to a family Thanksgiving dinner. What was I thinking?

"Oh, just the guy I hit the door with. He just called to tell me he was ok," I stated.

"Oh," The fury in her eyes diminished, "That's good to hear."

"Yeah, but I… I felt really bad about the whole thing… and I… well… invited him and a friend to Thanksgiving," I murmured.

"You what?" She questioned, obviously shocked. Luckily, before she could say anything else to me, my dad entered in the room.

"What's going on here ladies?" He questioned, knowing something was up.

"I invited the guy I knocked out to Thanksgiving dinner. I just felt so bad, I wanted to make it up to him," I said. At first my dad looked shocked and angry, but then he regained his composure.

"Well, since you're making the dinner, I guess that's fine. If it will make you feel better I approve," He replied, satisfied with his decision. I smiled, knowing he was on my side. As my stepmom started to go off on a rant about strangers and family dinners, my dad gave me the I-can-handle-it look, so I went upstairs.

I opened my laptop and clicked on Skype. Ally was on, so I called her. She hadn't heard that I was having a celebrity (even though he doesn't think he's one) over for dinner! When she picked up, I was speaking so fast she couldn't even get a grip on what I was saying.

"Calm down, Cora. I can't even understand you! What's happening?" Ally questioned confusedly.

"Remember the guy I knocked out?! You know, Jordan?!" I almost screamed in a complete fangirl moment.

"Yeah, yeah, how could I forget? What happened? Cora! Tell me!" She knew something big was happening.

"He's. Coming. Over. For. Thanksgiving!" I started squealing like a little girl.

"No way. No way. Cora! That's so great! Oh, I'm coming over and I'm going to make you look fantastic!" Ally volunteered.

"It's only dinner! ...But ok!" I shivered with excitement. I saw Tom was online so I added him to the call.

"Sup' ladies?" Tom greeted.

"Tom! You wouldn't believe what happened!" I nearly screamed. Tom was just as much of a fan as I was.

"What?" The look on his face completely changed. I just realized he didn't even know that I met Jordan at all, so I told him the story up through Nick's prank call.

"Cora. You're joking with me, right?" Tom said, obviously shocked.

"No, I'm being 100% serious," I answered.

"It's true!" Ally chimed in, "I was a witness to the whole thing!"

"And you wouldn't believe what else, Tom," I added.

"There's more?" Tom said, his eyes bugging out even more.

"Yeah, Jordan called me earlier today, and I invited him and Nick to Thanksgiving dinner! He accepted the offer!" I exclaimed.

"What?! Cora! Thanksgiving? Oh my," Tom said, taking it all in. "You have to promise I can meet him some time."

"I promise. I'm sure I can hook you guys up on a hot date," I joked.

"That's not what I meant," Tom groaned.

Ally and I laughed at him for a while. Over the video Tom's expression changed and he said, "Have fun at the dinner, Cora. I wish I could be there with you. Jordan's a lucky guy." Tom left the call.


	6. Preparation and Salad Forks

-THANKSGIVING DAY-

*Cora's POV*

I opened my eyes. Today was the big day. I sprang out of bed and got dressed. My alarm clock started to beep. Looks like I woke up a little early today. I galloped down the stairs and got myself a bowl of Cheerios. As I was eating, my heart was racing a mile a minute. I allowed myself some time to calm down a bit. I finished breakfast, put the huge turkey in the oven, and set a timer. This big bird was going to take forever to cook. I ran around the kitchen a little while longer getting things prepared. Everything had to be perfect.

My dad was the next one to come downstairs. He groggily put a piece of toast in the toaster and plopped down in a chair. "Morning," he greeted. After a bit of chit chat later, my step mom came downstairs, looking upset, as always. I didn't know what my dad saw in her.

At around 1:00pm Ally swung open my front door and announced with her hands held up high, "Today's the big day!"

I smiled and my heart started to race again. I wasn't doing much at the moment, so we went upstairs and she laid out a few of her nicer dresses on my bed.

"Pick one," she stated.

"Well I thought I was going to wear this nicer shirt and maybe-" I started to say.

"Pick one," Ally said again firmly. I guess it was a good thing we were the same size. To be honest her wardrobe was much more fit for this kind of occasion. I looked over the 5 or so dresses she laid out. A particular scarlet one caught my eye. I picked it up and went to the bathroom to try it on. When I came out Ally's expression told me that it was a good one. I smiled and gave a little twirl.

"Let me do your makeup," Ally said as she started to push me back into my room.

"Hold up! Don't over do it. Promise?" I asked sincerely.

"Ok, ok. I have something in mind that you might like," she responded as she pulled out the makeup she bought just the other day when we were shopping together.

I smiled and she had me face away from the mirror so that I would only see the finished product. She got to work. When she was done, she spun the chair towards the mirror, and I gasped. She did a perfect job. It wasn't too much, but just enough that she brought out my best features.

"Like it?" Ally asked hopefully.

"I love it!" I answered.

"Now, I need to teach you how to be proper," Ally insisted.

I chuckled, "You don't need to do that. I'm sure I can handle a family dinner."

Ally raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm not leaving until we do this."

I gave in and Ally smiled. We sat at the kitchen table and she pulled out a drinking glass, a dinner plate, a salad plate, a dinner fork, a salad fork, a butter knife, a steak knife, and a spoon. She told me to set the table. I don't know why this was such a big deal, but I tried to pull all the information I had on setting a table from my foods class back in middle school.

When I finished, Ally looked disappointed and said, "The salad fork goes on the left, Cora."

I shook my head and smiled. She tried to teach me some dinner conversation topics, but I told her I needed to prepare more. I hugged Ally and said goodbye. He would be here in a half and hour.


	7. Thanksgiving Dinner

*Jordan's POV*

I adjusted my tie and combed my hair. I smiled in the mirror. It wasn't too often that I looked this nice. I walked into the living room and found Nick looking classy as well. We were both in suits. We got in my Mercedes and drove to the address Cora gave me. It was a nice, two story house. I parked in the driveway and Nick and I walked up to the front door. Nick rang the doorbell.

A middle aged woman opened the door, she smiled and said, "You must be Cora's friends! Please come in." Nick and I stepped in and immediately the smell of roast turkey filled my nostrils. I was even more pleased to have come here.

"Hello, my name is Jordan, and this is my friend Nick," I greeted.

"Hello, please call me Mrs. Fisher," she replied. Mrs. Fisher took our coats and we sat down on the couch, where we were greeted by who I assumed was Mr. Fisher.

"Hi, I'm Cora's father. You can call me Eric. What is your name?" the man greeted.

His wife gave him a look, so I added, "I'll just call you Mr. Fisher. My name is Jordan, and this is Nick."

Mr. Fisher smiled and said, "Nice to meet you. Cora's making the dinner this year and it should be ready any minute."

As if on cue, Cora stepped out of the kitchen and said hi to Nick and I. She looked stunning in her beautiful hi-low scarlet dress. My heart raced a bit. I offered to help with anything, and she led me in to the kitchen.

"It's nice that you came, Jordan," she said as we walked over to where she was preparing the food.

"It was even nicer of you to invite me," I smiled and replied.

"The table is already set and the food should all be ready, so if you would just help me carry the food to the table, that would be great," Cora asked.

"Of course," I said, picking up a bowl of mashed potatoes. I carried it into the dining room. The table had a beautiful cream tablecloth and really expensive china laid out perfectly around the table. The lights were dimmed just a bit and there were some candles lit in the center of the long table. I put the bowl down, and went in to the kitchen to help carry more food in. As we got everything else laid out, Cora put the finishing touches on the turkey and told me to bring it in the dining room while she called everyone in. I picked up the plate with the perfect, heavy turkey. I started to walk in to the dining room, when I caught my toe on the threshold of the door separating the kitchen from the dining room. I gasped and nearly dropped the turkey. I recovered and put it down on the table. What a disaster that would have been!

Everyone came in to the room and was seated by Mrs. Fisher. I was next to Nick and across from Cora. Next to her was Mrs. Fisher, and at the head of the table next to his wife was Mr. Fisher. We passed around the food. Besides turkey and mashed potatoes, there was stuffing, cranberries, rolls, and corn. Cora also mentioned there was pumpkin pie for later. I held back while everyone was still serving themselves, and once I was sure it was ok, I dove into the meal. Everything was so perfect! The turkey with gravy was well done and it tasted just as good as it looked! I was lost in food heaven.

*Cora's POV*

I started dinner. I looked over at Jordan and Nick hopefully. I couldn't help but smile when they both looked completely enveloped in their meals. I calmed down a bit and sat back in my chair. I ate for a minute or two and reached up for my glass. I forgot the drinks!

"Sorry, everyone, I'll go get the drinks." I announced. Stephanie said ok, but my dad, Jordan and Nick just mumbled "mmhm" because they had a full mouth of food. I grabbed the sparkling grape juice out of the fridge. I thought about buying red wine, but I remembered from his videos that Jordan wasn't too much of a fan of alcohol, so I decided on sparkling grape juice. I brought it out and started to pour it for everyone. Jordan looked a little disappointed at first because it did look like a wine bottle, but once I announced it wasn't alcoholic, he brightened up.

I sat down and we ate for a minute or two in silence. It wasn't too much of an awkward silence, but the kind of where no one talks because the food is so good and you don't want to stop eating. Finally, Stephanie started the conversation.

"So, what do you two young men do for a living?" she asked. Her tone of voice seemed so nice! What was going on here?

"Oh, I'm sure you've heard of YouTube. I make videos." Jordan smiled and answered.

Nick spoke up, "I edit them."

My dad answered, "That sounds like a lot of fun!" Stephanie's expression told me that she didn't approve. It was nothing I didn't expect.

"What about you, Cora? I don't think you ever told me what you do," Jordan looked me in the eye and asked.

On the inside I was fangirling out of control, but on the outside I calmly answered, "I'm a full time student at UCLA."

He smiled at me, that beautiful little half smile he does where one corner of his mouth raises higher than the other. "That's cool. I went to college for a while, but never finished."

"I know," I said, lost in the moment.

Jordan's face completely changed. "How do you know?"

Only then did I realize what a horrible mistake I made. He knows I'm a fan. He probably thinks I'm a crazy stalker now! Oh, I ruined it! He'll never talk to me again!


	8. Making Friends

In a last attempt to save myself, I quickly blurted out, "Well aren't you on YouTube? I think I may have seen your 'Draw My Life' video once."

Luckily, he didn't look so suspicious anymore. "Oh, yeah, I forgot I put that in there," he said and smiled.

At that point, we were done with dinner, so my parents offered to do the dishes while we sat down in the living room. Nick took the armchair, and I sat down on the couch. Jordan sat right next to me. Right. Next. To. Me. The fangirl inside of me nearly exploded. I turned on the TV and flipped through the channels.

When the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving episode came on, Jordan stopped me and said, "I used to watch this every Thanksgiving when I was little."

"Well you're still five, so…" Nick said. We all laughed, and I loosened up a bit.

"Hey, trying to make me look bad in front of the lady, are you?" Jordan smiled and raised an eyebrow at Nick.

"That's what I'm here for," Nick shot right back. We laughed again, and watched the show for a while.

Jordan brought up what I was fearing, "You know, Cora," he started, "I don't really care if you're a fan of mine." He turned to me and gave me that smile again.

I gave in. "Yeah, I watch your videos on occasion. The Skyblock 2.0 series you guys did with Mark was priceless!"

They both laughed. Nick commented, "Yeah, that one was fun to make."

My dad brought the pumkin pie and some whipped cream in and said, "If you want to eat in here, it's fine with me."

"Cool, thanks," I answered. "I'm sure Jordan wouldn't want to miss the rest of the Charlie Brown episode."

"Well no, I just-" Jordan tried to defend himself but just ended up blushing.

I punched his shoulder and said, "Just kidding."

I grabbed a slice of pie and the whipped cream. I forgot my manners and completely covered my pie in the whipped cream. No one seemed to mind. I handed the whipped cream to Jordan, who proceeded to cover not only the pie, but the entire plate in whipped cream. I laughed at him, and he hung his head and muttered, "sorry." Jordan tossed the whipped cream over to Nick, who thankfully caught it. He drew a smiley face on his pie.

We all dug in, and it only took about a minute or two for all of us to finish. Jordan had a ton of whipped cream on his face, so I took a napkin and gave it to him. He wiped his face off and grabbed another napkin and gently wiped my nose off for me. I smiled and Nick interrupted the moment.

"Thanks for inviting us, Cora." he smiled and said, "I'm sure I speak for both Jordan and I when I say that you did a fantastic job with everything."

Jordan added, "Yeah. We probably would have eaten Cheerios for dinner or gotten take out or something."

"Wow. I'm flattered, guys," I could hardly think of what to say.

"You should come over to the condo sometime soon, Cora," Jordan replied sincerely.

As if I weren't shocked enough already! I smiled really big (I couldn't hold it back this time) and answered, "yes! I'd love to!"


	9. Orange Juice

**A/N: I'm sorry I haven't updated this story in a while. I've had a ton of stuff going on recently. This story has over 600 views! That's crazy! Thank you all for supporting it and for all the nice feedback you've been giving. I really appreciate it. 3**

-Two Days after Thanksgiving-

*Cora's POV*

My phone buzzed as I was eating lunch. Jordan's picture popped up on the screen. I picked up right away.

"Hey Jordan!" I answered.

"Hey Cora, how's it going?" Jordan asked.

"Great! What's up with you?" questioned.

"Well, not much, so I was wondering if you wanted to come over later today."

"Oh yeah! That sounds fantastic!" I announced.

"Awesome. How does 8:00 sound?" Jordan asked.

"Sounds cool. I'll be there!" I proclaimed. He gave me his address, said see you later, and hung up the phone. I did a little victory dance, and all the excitement made me lose my appetite. I cleaned up my plate and ran up the stairs two steps at a time. I picked out an outfit for later, dark skinny jeans and a red t-shirt, and put my hair into a side braid. It was only 1:00. I wished the next seven hours would pass more quickly.

When the clock reached 7:30, I looked up directions to Jordan's house and jumped in the car. I wasn't going to be late for this! I came up to this big complex and parked outside of it. I took the elevator up to the 12th floor and rang the doorbell to the address Jordan gave me.

I heard footsteps on the other side of the door. It swung open, Jordan was standing there beaming. "Hey, Cora!" he greeted, "come on inside!"

I stepped in and took off my shoes. To say the least, his place was beautiful. The wooden floors perfectly accented the furniture and the kitchen. I looked over at the living room, and saw Nick lounging on the couch. "Hey Cora." He greeted.

"Hey." I answered, still taking in the beauty of the room.

Noticing my appreciation of his condo, Jordan said, "Hey, that's not all!" and ran over towards the control panel by the door. He hit the light switch and touched a button so the blinds over the condo's large slanted windows gradually receded. The view was so beautiful it seemed unreal. The city lights of L.A. quickly lit up the room. I walked over towards the windows and stood there in silence and awe, taking it all in. After a good thirty seconds, I turned to Jordan and just said, "wow…"

Jordan, appreciated with the reaction I had, clapped his hands together and said, "Well, let's do something. Nick and I were just playing Halo Co-op on my Xbox a few minutes ago, would you like to join?"

"Sure, but you'll have to teach me how to play," I answered.

"That's not a problem," Jordan said and smiled, "oh, would you like something to drink first?"

"Sure, what do you have?" I asked.

"Water, orange juice, milk…" he answered, a little disappointed in the choices he gave me.

I laughed and said, "Orange juice would be fine. Thanks."

He poured me some orange juice and I set it on the table next to the couch. Jordan got out another Xbox controller and sat down in between Nick and I. All of the sudden, Jordan put his arm around me, placing his hands lightly on top of mine. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Nick smiling. Jordan moved my hands to the proper position on the controller and showed me which buttons did what. He took his arm away and grabbed his controller, still sitting just as close. I couldn't be happier. We played for a while, and I wasn't doing really well.

"Sorry guys. I'm letting our team down." I apologized.

"Hey, for your first time, you aren't doing that bad." Nick responded.

"Yeah, don't worry, you'll get better," Jordan added.

"Hm. I guess so." I said as I reached for my orange juice next to me. As I picked it up, the glass slipped and I spilled it. All. Over. My. Shirt. Jordan and Nick gasped. There was an awkward silence in the room. I ran to the bathroom. This perfect day, ruined.


	10. Hugs

**A/N: Hello everyone! I don't know if you noticed but there's a new cover photo up! Credit goes to my awesome friend Michelle and her artsyness (yes I know that isn't a word). Happy Saturday and enjoy the chapter!**

I glanced at myself in the mirror and burst into tears. Great, now my makeup was smeared too. This night could have gone so well! I just had to go and be a complete klutz, didn't I? I looked my reflection in the eye and decided it wasn't too late. Giving up was not an option in this kind of situation. I grabbed tissues and cleaned myself up as best I could. After a minute or two, someone knocked on the door.

"Cora? Don't worry, this stuff happens to everyone," I heard Jordan say from the other side of the door.

"I know," I muttered, still in a wreck.

"If you want, I can lend you one of my t-shirts for the evening," Jordan offered.

"Thanks, Jordan," I said, lightening up a bit, "that would be great."

I heard his footsteps disappear and return. I opened the bathroom door just a bit so I could stick my arm out and grab the shirt. I quickly took off the old one and slipped on the black t-shirt that Jordan gave me. As I pulled it over my head, I caught a whiff of his sweet cologne. The shirt was a size or two too big, but it was a much better option than smelling like orange juice for the rest of the evening. I stepped outside, and Jordan and Nick looked up at me from the couch.

"Hot, right?" I said in a sarcastic tone.

"Totally," Jordan immediately responded. Nick smiled again.

I went over to the couch and sat down. We didn't play for long before we just decided to talk for a while.

"So Cora, you go to UCLA, right?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, I major in Psychology," I answered.

"Your break must almost be over then," Jordan added.

"Yes, unfortunately," I sighed, "Although it's not too far away from here, so I'm sure we can still hang on the weekends if you would like."

"That sounds great!" Jordan replied.

We talked more about UCLA and what I'd be doing there. He was the one with the intriguing life, but he asked me all the questions. I can't recall the last time I was treated like I was so important. As if I didn't like him enough already, he just proved himself to be the caring, kind gentleman I always thought he was.

"So, Jordan, enough about me, how are you feeling?" I asked.

"Much better actually," Jordan replied. He looked over at Nick and said, "This is actually the last day Nick will be here. I'm healing much faster than expected."

"That's fantastic!" I said enthusiastically.

"Yep," Nick chimed in, "I'm leaving tonight."

Only then did I realize that I had overstayed my welcome and should probably go home. I wrapped up the conversation with Jordan and Nick, got my shoes on and Jordan got my jacket out of the closet. I put it on and said goodbye to both of them. Out of nowhere, Jordan reached his arms out for a hug. I wrapped my arms around him, enjoying the moment.

Jordan opened the door for me and said, "See you soon, Cora."

"See you soon," I replied, looking into his deep brown eyes. I left the condo and took the elevator down to my car, still wearing his black t-shirt.


	11. Back to School

**A/N: Hey everyone! I wanted to thank you yet again for all the wonderful comments and support you have been leaving, it really means so much to me. Also, this story just hit a thousand views! That's super awesome and I wouldn't have expected it so quickly. On another note, I don't know if you guys saw Jordan's April Fools prank, but I totally fell for it for the first few seconds! I hope you all enjoy this chapter that is long overdue. Have a wonderful day!**

Thanksgiving week passed more quickly than expected. Monday morning came too fast and It was already time to pack up and head back to UCLA. My dad helped me get everything I needed into the car and we were off. Halfway there, I realized I forgot to give Jordan back his t-shirt. I took out my phone and texted him, saying I would give it back the next time I saw him. A minute later, I got a reply saying it wasn't a problem. A minute after that I got another text asking if I wanted to come over next weekend. Of course I said yes.

I got to campus and hugged my dad goodbye. Since the drive was relatively close, I usually came and stayed home for the weekends, so I didn't have to spend much time living alone. My dorm was one of the nicer ones and I didn't have a roommate, so I had more space for myself. I brought up all my stuff to my room, and put some of my clothes I wore more often in the closet. I reached down for my usual black shirt but found that I accidentally brought Jordan's instead. I tossed it on my bed so I wouldn't forget it next weekend. I checked the time. It was already noon, and I had class at one. I quickly headed down to the cafeteria where I saw Tom.

"Cora! Hey, how was break?" He asked as soon as he saw me.

"Awesome, how was yours?" I replied.

"Pretty good, it passed too quickly though," Tom stated. I agreed and sat down with him for lunch.

"I saw Jordan the other day," I told Tom.

He looked up from his food and said, "Really? How was that?"

"Pretty cool," I said not wanting to tell him about the orange juice incident, "we played a bit of Halo and talked about school and everything. You know, he's doing much better from his concussion."

"That's great," Tom answered, "do you think I could meet him sometime?"

"I'm sure there would be no problem with that!" I assured Tom. He asked me more questions about my visit with Jordan and how my break was until it was time to head over to class. Since Tom had the same major as me, we had many of the same classes together. I grabbed my backpack and my jacket and walked with Tom towards our class. As I was about to open the door, Tom jumped in front of me and opened it for me.

"After you." He smiled and said.

I thanked him and walked into the classroom. I took a seat in the middle and Tom sat next to me.

"Good morning everyone," my professor greeted, "I hope you all had a nice break. Today we will be discussing the works of Sigmund Freud." He continued on with his lesson and class eventually was dismissed, but not before my professor announced that there was a test planned for Friday, even though we just got back.

"Do you want to study together on Thursday?" Tom asked.

"Sure, sounds like a plan," I answered.

We walked out of class together and I felt something drop from my backpack. As soon as I turned around to get it, there was Tom, picking it up for me.

"Here," he smiled and handed my pencil back to me, "you dropped that."

"Thanks," I said to him, "I'll see you later, I have some homework to get done."

He said goodbye and we parted. I walked back to my dorm and plopped down on my desk chair. Tom seemed awful nice lately. I took out my homework for the day and started on it, although I couldn't focus much. As good of a friend that he had been recently, I hoped that Tom didn't want something more than I was willing to give him. Night eventually came and I laid down on my bed and watched the latest CaptainSparklez video on my phone, his voice drifting me into sleep.


	12. Home for the Weekend

Jordan came in closer towards me, brushing my hair behind my ear. He was so close I could smell his sweet cologne. He whispered my name. Suddenly, his voice got louder and louder until he was nearly screaming, "Cora! Cora! Cora!" I was panicked. What was wrong? Then I woke up.

The screaming was my alarm clock, interrupting a fantastic dream. I opened my eyes groggily, realizing Jordan's t-shirt somehow found its way onto my face. I took it off, sat up, and sighed. Only a dream. It was Saturday morning, which meant I got to go home for the weekend. I grabbed the few things I needed, slung my backpack over my shoulder, and headed out the door. I came across Tom on the way out. He stayed for the weekends because he lived too far away.

"Cora! Hey!" Tom called as soon as he saw me.

"Oh, hi Tom," I answered, smiling at him.

"Do you want to do something this weekend?" He asked nicely.

"Sorry," I said, thinking of my plans, "Jordan asked me if I would come over again."

"Oh," Tom answered, looking upset.

"Maybe we can go out for lunch or something when I get back," I told him.

"Sounds great!" he said, lightening up, "I'll see you soon, have a fantastic weekend!"

I walked down the street, heading to my dad's car. I threw my backpack in the back seat and climbed into the front. I said hi to my dad and he asked me how my week was and how school has been going. When we arrived at home, I grabbed my backpack and headed up to my room. Just as I set it down, my phone started ringing. It was Ally.

"Hey!" I answered.

"Hey, Cora! How's it going?" Ally asked.

"Not too bad, how about you?" I responded.

"You wouldn't believe what happened yesterday!" Ally said excitedly, "I'm getting back with Jacob!"

Jacob was Ally's on and off boyfriend from her college. She's broken up and gotten together with him again at least three times. No, make that four times now. I don't blame her though. Jacob has the best sense of humor I've ever seen, not to mention his handsome forest green eyes and chocolate brown hair spiked up in the front.

"Really? That's good," I told her, uneasy about the situation.

She detected the hesitance in my voice and said, "Don't worry, I think this time will be different."

Well I really hoped so, although I wasn't sure. I decided to change the subject. "So, Jordan's invited me to his house again," I tell Ally.

"Awesome!" she says excitedly, "that's the second time now, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I answer.

"Well, I've got to go," Ally said, "I just wanted to update you on everything. Have an awesome time with Jordan!"

"See ya, Ally!" I said and hung up the phone. As if on cue, I got a text from Jordan.

It read, "Hey Cora, does tonight or tomorrow night work better for you?"

I replied, "Tonight would work better." I didn't want to get home too late on Sunday because I had to leave early in the morning to drive up to school.

Jordan's next text said, "Ok, sounds cool, want to come at 5 or so?"

"Sure, I'll be there!" I answered, although five seemed a bit early. I grabbed lunch from downstairs and opened up my laptop to work on a paper for school until 3:45.

I looked through my closet, looking for something nice, but not too formal for Jordan's house. I chose black leggings and an oversized mint colored sweater with a long necklace. I left my hair down. I told my Dad I was going out and grabbed the car keys. I drove over to Jordan's condo and headed up to his floor. I rang the doorbell.

The door swung open and Jordan was standing there smiling. I walked in and noticed there was food on the stove. Is he attempting to cook for us? Then I noticed the lights were dimmed just a bit, there was a candle and a vase of white daisies on the table, and the blinds were wide open to reveal the breathtaking view. I don't think I could be happier.

"Jordan… you did all of this… for me?" I asked, extremely shocked.

"Yes," he said as he took my hand and lead me to the table, "all for you."


	13. Dinner at Jordan's

Jordan pulled out my chair for me, and I sat down. He strolled over to the kitchen and drained something out of a pot. Spaghetti. He brought over the spaghetti and two glasses of water (I guess he didn't think orange juice was suitable for the occasion) and set them on the table. He sat down, and looked at me, waiting for a reaction.

I smiled from ear to ear and shook my head, saying, "I can't believe this, Jordan."

He laughed and said, "I wanted to surprise you," as he twirled his fork in his spaghetti.

"Well, it worked!" I responded, taking my first bite of dinner. The spaghetti was a little overdone, but I didn't want to criticize his cooking skills knowing this wasn't his usual thing to make a dinner like this.

"So Jordan," I started, "how is the channel going?"

"Awesome!" he responded, "It's a dream job for me."

I thought of all the people who would kill to be in his position. Making videos and posting them on the internet for a job? I would probably kill to be in his position too if I wasn't a full time college student. "I can imagine," I told him.

"Hey, maybe I could feature you in an episode of survival games," Jordan offered, smiling at me.

I laughed and my mouth dropped open, "You don't know how awesome that would be," I said with excitement.

He laughed, eyes sparkling like a little kid in a toy store, "Then it's settled! I'll call you sometime soon about setting a date for that."

As if weren't enough to meet Jordan in the first place, or have a conversation with him, or be invited to his house for a spaghetti dinner, now I get to play with him and get it uploaded on his channel? I gave my hand a quick pinch under the table to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I wasn't this time. We finished dinner, which wasn't too bad for someone who isn't a cook, and sat down on the couch.

"Do you want to play some Halo or something?" I asked Jordan.

"Well, if you want to sure…" he started saying, "but I just thought we would talk for a minute."

"Oh, sure," I answered, "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well…" Jordan said, scratching the back of his head and looking at a loss for words, "I just wanted to say that… um…"

I looked into his eyes and tilted my head saying, "what?"

He sighed, looked down at his hands, and looked back up at me, "Cora," he started, "Since I met you and got to know you better, you've been all that I've been able to think about. Every morning, I wake up and I think about you, and you're the last thing I think about at the end of the day. You invade my dreams, my work, and everything I do. I can't concentrate on anything anymore as if my procrastination wasn't bad enough already." He laughed a little after that. "Listen, I'm really glad I got hit with that door. It's the best thing that's ever happened to me. Well, not the concussion part, but meeting you. The difference of a second, right? What if I hadn't walked by there at that moment? Our paths would have never crossed and I would never have gotten this opportunity to be with you."

I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks and felt nearly ready to faint. I wanted to say something back, I wanted to tell him I felt the same way, but my throat refused to make any noise and my mouth failed to form any words. I stared into those deep brown eyes, unable to say anything. He was waiting for a response.

I placed my shaky hand on the back of his head and leaned in. I closed my eyes and our lips touched. Fireworks seemed to explode inside of me. He placed his hands around my waist and pressed against me. His lips were so soft, and so gentle. I ran my fingers through his curly dark hair and pressed my lips harder against his. My heart raced a million miles a minute. Soon enough he pushed me down on the couch and was on top of me. I got a whiff of his sweet cologne I could only dream of the night before. He wrapped his strong arms behind my back, holding me against him. I felt his breath against my cheek and his strong chest pressing on mine. The kiss lasted forever, but forever wasn't long enough. Our lips parted and I stared into his dark eyes again, feeling complete like I could die right here and right now without regrets.


	14. Win

*_Jordan's POV_*

I got up off the couch and reached down to get two controllers out of the entertainment center. I had my back turned to Cora so she couldn't see the huge smile I couldn't control. Relief spread throughout my entire body. Sleepless night after sleepless night I thought about how I could ever tell her, and I nailed it. The words just came naturally, all my feelings for her just came out. Once I started, there was no stopping myself, letting everything I wanted to tell her come flowing out like a dam cracking under the pressure of millions of gallons of water. And the kiss? I couldn't even begin to describe…

"Jordan?" Cora asked.

"Huh?" I questioned, realizing I had been staring blankly at the cabinets for quite a while, lost in thought. "Oh, sorry. I'm getting the controllers." I turned my Xbox on and brought the controllers over to the couch. While the game was starting up, I wrapped my arms around her and just closed my eyes for a couple seconds. I kissed her on the forehead and grabbed my controller.

"Ok, no more funny business. Let's do this," I said, getting my game face on.

Cora laughed and playfully hit me in the shoulder. "Ok Mr. Sparklez, I'm ready," she replied.

We began the game up and I noticed she was getting significantly better. Mid-way through the round Cora passed my amount of kills.

"What happened?" I asked her.

"Huh?..." she questioned, absorbed in the game. Now she was ten kills ahead of me. "What's wrong?"

"Cora, you have more kills then I do," I told her.

"What, really? Are you going easy on me or something?" She asked, quite sincerely. Funny thing, I was actually trying really hard.

"No. Have you been practicing or something? You're getting really good at this!" I exclaimed as Cora moved up to fifteen kills ahead.

"Oh, I watched a few videos, but that's about it," she told me.

The end of the round approached and we were surrounded. My character died after quite a beating, and Cora was left to finish the round off. She was so close to dying, but she won for the two of us! We both stood up in success, cheering.

I picked her up and spun her around, saying, "You did it!"

As I put her down, I looked over to the front door. Nick was standing there, laughing. Of course he had to barge in like any best friend without knocking.

"Nick! What brings you here?" I asked, a little embarrassed, but still excited from the game.

"Well I just came by to see what was up. Sorry bro, I didn't know you had company," he replied, nodding towards Cora.

"Oh, it's fine," I told him, thankful he came when he did and not during the kiss, "come sit down." I walked with him over to the couch and asked, "when did you get here? I didn't hear you come in."

Nick laughed and said, "Just as Cora won the game. Actually, I did knock, but you guys were so loud you probably didn't hear me." He turned to Cora, smiled, and commented, "Nice win by the way."

She thanked him, but I could tell she felt a little awkward with his arrival. "Oh! Jordan!" Cora announced, "I have your shirt that I borrowed last weekend." She walked over to her bag and handed me the shirt. "I washed it," she assured.

"Oh, thanks!" I smiled and set it down next to me.

"You know, I should really be going now. I'll see you later, Jordan. Bye Nick," Cora said and walked over to the door.

I followed her and opened the door for her. "Next weekend?" I asked hopefully.

"Of course!" she said without hesitation, "See you soon!"

As soon as I closed the door, I turned around to Nick and said, "You wouldn't believe what happened tonight."

Nick looked over to the table with the vase and candle and laughed. "Well I have an idea, but you better tell me because I don't want to assume…" he said and glanced at the bedroom door.

I blushed and said, "No! No! Nick!" I told him everything that happened.


End file.
